On behalf of KoolSpan I’d like to congratulate Julie Holdren, Chief Product and Operations Officer as a winner of the 2017 Washington SmartCEO Executive Management Award.

The SmartCEO Executive Management Awards program recognizes the leadership and accomplishments of the region’s management all-stars — CFOs, CIOs/CTOs, COOs and other Executives (CXOs). These individuals uphold the highest ethics, lead collaboratively and creatively, and enhance and support the organization’s mission.

Several KoolSpan members attended the award ceremony last week together with Julie. It was an inspirational evening, one in which we were honored to be a part in celebrating Julie’s and the other awardees successes. I’d like to thank Christine Piry and her team at SmartCEO for a wonderful evening.

Julie is transforming the company by introducing critical elements that enable the company to grow and scale; such as processes, improved documentation and communications. Julie implements these practices while enhancing the innovative culture of a fast paced start-up.

I am delighted that Julie was selected as a winner and wish her and the rest of our team continued success at KoolSpan.

Nigel Jones brings to KoolSpan over 20 years of experience in operations, financial management, private equity, and mergers & acquisitions, with a demonstrated track record of success. Nigel has been a partner at private equity investment firm TWJ Capital since 2006. Prior to joining TWJ Capital, Nigel was a Principal at the Carlyle Group, where he was a member of the U.S. Buyout team focused on the aerospace, defense, and federal technical services sectors. Prior to joining Carlyle, he was an Associate in the Technology Investment Banking group at Goldman Sachs & Co. Nigel holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) from Harvard University. Prior to business school, Nigel was a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps from 1991 to 1995, with a focus on secure voice and data communications. Nigel is a member of the Board of Directors of the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund.